Kazakh president urges Putin to freeze Ukraine war during talks in Omsk

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has publicly urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to freeze the war in Ukraine and consider resuming negotiations based on updated 2022 Istanbul parameters. Speaking alongside Putin at a bilateral summit in the Siberian city of Omsk, Tokayev lamented the loss of life, stating, "It's a shame, young people are dying. All this has to stop."

While Kazakhstan remains a formal security ally of Moscow, Astana has consistently declined to endorse the invasion of Ukraine. Tokayev noted that although both sides hold entrenched positions, an opportunity exists to halt active hostilities. The talks coincided with a deep-range Ukrainian drone strike targeting an oil refinery in Siberia on Saturday.

Sources: Bloomberg, France24, Sweden Herald